An investigation was conducted to determine the suitability of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for analyzing the complex mixture of elements in fly ash leachates.

XRF analysis was found to provide reasonably accurate measurement with coefficients of variation ranging from 2 to 8% for most elements. Sources of error included interferences by stimulation of fluorescent emissions by strong secondary fluorescent radiation, overlap of emission peaks, and adsorption of fluorescent emission from one element by others.

Standardization required preparation of complex mixtures of elements similar in composition to that of leachates. This required considerable preparation time and effort, but once the standards were stored in instrument memory, analysis for as many as 30 elements in leachate specimens required only about 60 min. This study showed that XRF potentially is a valuable tool for analysis of the complex elemental mixtures in fly ash leachates, but additional work is needed to reduce error and increase instrument sensitivity.